Movie review: ‘Mission’ accomplished: ‘Fallout’ is the action movie to end all action movies

Al Alexander More Content Now

Wednesday

Jul 25, 2018 at 2:17 PMJul 25, 2018 at 5:10 PM

It features the finale of all finales, but that’s just the beginning as to why “Mission: Impossible — Fallout” is the best summer action movie I’ve seen since, well, the last “Mission: Impossible.” For those keeping score, that was 2015’s sensational “Rogue Nation.” and “Fallout” picks up right where that gem left off, with Tom Cruise’s estimable Ethan Hunt saving the world from imminent. destruction at the hands of evildoers working under the warped assumption that, “There never can be peace without great suffering; and the greater the suffering, the greater the peace.”

That’s sort of the same thinking as treating your allies like dirt and cozying up to autocrats, but I digress. Yet, you can’t deny “Fallout” isn’t topical with its themes of deep-state conspiracies emanating from within the CIA, and spies from the USA, aka the Impossible Missions Force, butting heads with members of MI-6, aka Ethan’s gorgeous frenemy, Ilsa (the svelte Swede Rebecca Ferguson), in pursuit of … Well, let’s just keep that under wraps so you can find out for yourself. Besides, I’m not exactly sure I’ve figured it out yet; typical for an MI franchise that prides itself on action over story. And who’s to argue when you’re having this much fun?

Maybe “fun” isn’t the right word, considering Cruise is giving you a coronary every time he’s skydiving, leaping between buildings, dangling off a high-flying helicopter or racing at nearly 100 mph through the streets of Paris on the back of a motorcycle — without a helmet. And, yes, that’s really him performing all those death-defying stunts. Isn’t it always? I don’t know how much longer Cruise, now a robust 56, can keep sacrificing his body like this, but you hope that day is a long way off. But unless he can locate the fountain of youth, we must face the fact that “Fallout” could well be his last hurrah as Ethan Hunt. And if it is, considering it takes a minimum three years to crank these action masterpieces out, he exits spectacularly.

He seems to know it, too, ending this latest entry flat on his back in a hospital bed, begging his IMF crew not to make him laugh. But laugh he does; and so do we, with the one-liners flying left and right, as Cruise flies through the air with the greatest of ease — until he famously shatters an ankle leaping off a building. You cringe, as you can almost hear the bone crumble; all while marveling at the fortitude it took to get up and keep running until he was out of camera range before collapsing in agonizing pain. Like they say, the show must go on.

Clearly, these movies aren’t for sissies. No, they’re for people who love escapism remotely based in the natural world instead of some phony comic-book universe. I’ll take one of these MI endeavors any day over the vastly overrated entries in the Star Wars or Marvel canons. And that’s largely because there’s little or no green-screen to fall back on. What’s here is real, and that’s really Cruise risking his life just to make you grin.

And, hold you in constant awe; a modern-day Buster Keaton, refusing to give self-preservation a single thought. And in return, you’re in a blissful state of amazement, repeatedly asking yourself, “How in the heck did they pull that off?” There’s more than a half-dozen such moments, each topping the one that came before it. Which now brings me to the aforementioned finale, a magnificent piece of filmmaking that simultaneously involves three different venues — sky, land and cliff — thrillingly bundled together by the oldest trick in the book: A ticking clock. It takes place in real time, obviously inspired by TV’s “24,” but done in a way that show’s creators could never imagine. In fact, I don’t think anyone could imagine it — except, maybe Cruise and his equally insane writer-director Christopher McQuarrie.

Not only is he the first director invited back to the franchise, he’s also its most astute at creating jaw-dropping visuals that viscerally enthrall. If you thought his work on “Rogue Nation” was stunning, wait until you see this. And it’s done in a completely different directing style. Less successful is McQuarrie’s convoluted script, which is rich in clunky dialogue and occasional shlock meant to make Ethan seem more human. It might work for some, but I found all the schmaltz distracting, robbing time from watching Cruise doing things the human body isn’t meant to be capable.

That’s what you came for, and that’s why you stay agog for the fast-paced 147 minutes. Normally, I’d say that’s much too long for one of these movies, but with “Fallout” you actually feel like it ends too soon, leaving you wanting more of everything and everyone. That includes the superb trio of Ferguson, Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg as Cruise’s crew, all at the ready when called upon. But it’s two newcomers in Henry Cavill (aka Superman) and Vanessa Kirby (aka Princess Margaret from “The Crown”) who most capture your eye; not just because they’re both physically attractive, but because their characters — he’s a CIA assassin constantly clashing with Ethan, and she a mercenary willing to sell her soul to the highest bidder — are so compellingly two-faced.

Those traits are essential for any I film, as we’re treated to the usual assortment of dirty tricks, double crosses and, yes, latex disguises. As Angela Bassett’s CIA director Erica Sloan cleverly notes, the IMF team is like Halloween: “A bunch of people in masks playing trick ’r’ treat”; albeit, more treat than trick. And one of those hoodwinks involves old friend Solomon Lane (a wonderfully creepy Sean Harris), the chief villain from “Rogue Nation,” returning as an intended pawn in snuffing out a dirty bomb that could kill thousands. But first Ethan and his crew must kidnap him from MI6 in one of the film’s best set pieces. It ends with a car chase so good it belongs aside “Bullitt” and “The French Connection” as one of the best ever put on film. And, yes, that’s Cruise really driving that vintage BMW like a crazed Dale Earnhardt.

On the down side, there’s Alec Baldwin reprising his role as CIA muckety-muck Alan Hunley from “Rogue Nation.” He still struggles to fit in, but to be fair, his character is saddled with some of the film’s most painful dialogue. I also could have done without a pair of cameos by Michelle Monaghan as Ethan’s exiled wife, Julia, now a member of a doctor without borders group. They, along with McQuarrie’s script (hard to believe he won an Oscar for writing “The Usual Suspects”) are mere roadblocks to what is otherwise a tight, superbly acted movie so good it even casts Wolf Blitzer as a CNN anchor who really is delivering — to borrow a term — fake news!

What you’ll walk away with most, though, is not just a renewed respect for what a great entertainer Tom Cruise can be, but also what a pleasure it is to experience a movie like “Fallout” that dazzles and amazes with a globetrotting extravaganza brimming with beauty and excitement on a level you wouldn’t dream feasible. But then that’s MI, a franchise forever proving it can make the impossible possible.